


despite the fear

by LiveLaughLovex



Series: first to fight [1]
Category: The Code (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, F/M, Gen, Mentions of John "Abe" Abraham/Harper Li, Mentions of Maya Dobbins/Original Male Character(s), Post-Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-19
Updated: 2019-09-19
Packaged: 2020-10-21 15:21:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20695712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiveLaughLovex/pseuds/LiveLaughLovex
Summary: A replacement is brought in after complications with his wife's pregnancy sideline Major Trey Ferry.





	despite the fear

**Author's Note:**

> she was powerful. not because she wasn't scared, but because she went on so strongly, despite the fear. - atticus 
> 
> WARNING: There are vague mentions of past sexual assault and harassment included at points in this story. Please, if these are topics that may cause issues for you, proceed with caution.

“Captain Dobbins?”

“That’s me,” Maya responded absently, typing up the last few words of her report before glancing away from the computer screen and meeting the eyes of the man standing in front of her desk with a polite smile. “What can I do for you?”

“I’m Captain Rhys Donovan,” the man introduced himself, extending a hand for her to shake.

“Oh, right. You’re the replacement they called in for Major Ferry,” Maya realized, releasing his hand to push away from her desk.

“I am,” he confirmed with a nod. “Though from what I’ve heard about you, I don’t understand why they thought _my_ services were needed. You seem to be running things just fine.”

“Thank you for the compliment, Captain, but rest assured, we are _very_ grateful to have you,” Maya said honestly. “Mrs. Ferry is in the early stages of her pregnancy, and morning sickness has hit her like a _bus_. She and the major have had some… difficulties in the past, so he’d like to remain as close to home as he possibly can for the next few months.”

Donovan winced sympathetically. “Understandable. Again, though, why weren’t you left in charge while he’s on sabbatical? Your record’s certainly impressive enough,” he complimented once more, shrugging sheepishly when she eyed him curiously, one eyebrow arched in question. “There’s a chance I might’ve looked you up on the flight here,” he confessed embarrassedly.

“I’d say there’s more than a chance,” she quipped. “No worries, though. I looked you up, too.”

“It’s always a good idea to know who you’re working with,” Donovan offered.

“It is,” she nodded. “As for why I’m not running things… Colonel Turnbull _did_ offer. I turned her down. I have some… familial obligations of my own at the moment,” she confessed, choosing not to expand on her admission despite the glint of interest in her new coworker’s gaze. “It’s probably best for my clients _and_ the department if I’m only focusing on one thing at a time.”

He considered her for a moment, then nodded in understanding. “Alright. Well, I’m looking forward to working with you, Captain Dobbins.”

“You, as well,” she said genuinely. “Have you been stationed here at Quantico for long? I don’t think I’ve seen you around, and I live here on base.”

“No. Just got here a few days ago, actually. I’ve been stationed overseas for nearly a year. Don’t worry,” he added with a teasing smile. “You haven’t been ignoring me this entire time.” 

“Glad to hear it.” She sorted through the stack of files atop her desk, finally retrieving the one she was looking for and handing it over. “Unfortunately, your introduction to our department’s not exactly the most pleasant one.”

He flipped through the file quickly, giving the information a cursory glance, the wrinkle between his brows deepening with every word he read. “A captain sexually assaulted a seventeen-year-old girl?”

“_Allegedly _assaulted,” Maya corrected evenly, though the words left a bad taste in her mouth. “As much as it pains me to say this, Captain Ferris is innocent until proven guilty. Our job is to be the champions of that perceived innocence.”

“This girl is on a _psych_ hold because she tried to kill herself the day after that _alleged_ assault, Dobbins.” 

“I know,” she sighed wearily, leaning back against her desk and folding her arms over her chest. “I don’t like this any more than you do, Donovan. But we don’t get to choose our clients. They’re a lot like family, in that way.”

“And you’re okay with this?” he questioned incredulously. “Defending men like _this_?” 

“_No_,” she denied vehemently. “I’m not. But this is the _job_. Captain Ferris has a constitutional right to a defense, and we are obligated to give that to him. We’re big believers in the Constitution around here, Captain Donovan. I wouldn’t worry too much, though,” she advised, pushing away from her desk and leading him toward the elevators. “I happen to personally know the prosecuting attorneys assigned to this case. They’re going to wipe the floor with our defense before it has _any_ time to have an impact on the panel.”

“So, they’re good?” Donovan checked, following her into the elevator and leaning against the back wall. “Because this guy has a record that might make some members of the panel less likely to…”

“Captain Abraham did multiple tours of Afghanistan and nearly died of a thigh wound before he became a lawyer,” Maya interjected helpfully, waiting for the elevator doors to close before leaning forward and pressing the button for the ground floor. “He doesn’t back away from a fight. Plus, I’ve got this theory he was born argumentative. It would explain _so_ much.”

Donovan cracked a smile at the description she offered of her longtime friend. “And his co-counsel?”

“Lieutenant Li? She graduated top of her class from Stanford, twice. The first time we ever threw her into a warzone, she managed to save dozens of lives.” She glanced over at him with a smile she hoped came across as confident. “They’re_ good_,” she said again.

He nodded once, exhaling slowly through his nose, then glanced around at their surroundings. “Captain Dobbins?” he began slowly.

“Yes?” she replied, glancing over her shoulder as she stepped into the lobby.

“_Why_ are we no longer upstairs?”

“Because we have to go to North Carolina,” she answered matter-of-factly. “Several of the witnesses are unable to travel to Quantico to speak to us. Miss Brooks is… well, she isn’t in any position to be moved,” she finished, clearing her throat. “Our hop to Jacksonville leaves in twenty minutes. I probably should’ve mentioned this earlier,” she admitted awkwardly. “Sorry.”

“It’s…” He heaved a sigh, looking slightly put-out, then waved a hand in the air, excusing her apologies. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad I’ve always got a go-bag with me. I’m, uh… I’ll go grab that from my truck. And you will…”

“I will meet you on the tarmac in fifteen,” she supplied.

“Sounds like a plan.” He headed for the parking lot, turning back to meet her expectant gaze before he could make it further than ten feet. “I’m sorry. About what I said earlier, when we were looking through the file on Ferris. I didn’t mean to imply you’d condone that behavior. I get that this is our job, I just…”

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me, Donovan,” she assured him quietly. “Believe me, I get it.”

“Okay.” He glanced briefly away from her, reaching up to scratch behind his ear, then cleared his throat before nodding to himself. “I should probably go grab my bag then, I guess.”

“You should,” she agreed, offering an amused smile. “Preferably_ before_ we get left behind. Though that would be one way to win this case for the prosecution.”

“Don’t tempt me,” he called over his shoulder, jogging toward his truck.

“Fifteen minutes!” she called after him. “If we don’t make this flight…”

“We’ll make the flight!” he assured her loudly, shaking his head as he continued out to his vehicle. “Have a little faith, Captain Dobbins.”

“That’s not exactly my strong suit,” she admitted wryly.

He turned back around to face her, offering a warm smile. “Well, then, I guess we both have things to work on.”

“Yes,” she sighed, unable to prevent herself from returning his smile. “I suppose we do.”

0o0

“I’m just saying, if he gets away with this…”

“Harper, he’s not getting away with it,” Abe sighed exasperatedly, his tone suggested it was hardly the first time he’d assured her of such. He raised a hand in greeting as Maya claimed the seat opposite him, then redirected his gaze to the woman seated next to him. “You’re not exuding confidence right now, Li. Have some faith. It’s our job to make sure he doesn’t get away with his crime, and, though I don’t mean to sound arrogant, you and I, we are very good at our jobs.”

The lieutenant rolled her eyes. “We _are_ very good at our jobs,” she agreed begrudgingly. “But let’s not pretend this would be the first time a powerful man got away with something like this. There are half a dozen officers that already want the agents who charged him removed from their posts.”

“Well, that’s not going to happen,” Abe insisted. “It’s a ridiculous request, and they know it. They just want to stir things up, because…”

“Because the Marine Corps is essentially an Old Boys’ Club, even in 2019?” Harper suggested helpfully.

“Not how I would have phrased it, but yes,” Abe acquiesced without hesitation, his tone darkening as he continued. “A teenage girl is on suicide watch because of what he did to her. We have evidence to prove his guilt. No panel’s going to let him walk away from this. Even if it is made up of _old boys_ with outdated mindsets,” he finished dryly.

“I hope you’re right,” Harper muttered, shifting in her seat. She glanced over at Maya, eyebrow raised in challenge. “Have you come up with an argument against the facts, yet?”

“I have not,” Maya answered wearily, eyes drifting shut as she leaned her head against the back of her seat. “You’re right. Every bit of evidence points to him being guilty. The only reason people are trying to challenge the facts is because of his record and his history. But you’re right. Saving a dozen lives in Iraq a decade ago doesn’t excuse what he did.”

Abe stared at her in confusion. “You’re his attorney, Maya,” he reminded her. “Shouldn’t you be telling us it was all a misunderstanding?”

“I should be,” Maya agreed, glancing down the aisle as Donovan boarded the flight and approached the group. “But that girl’s statement…” She shuddered at the memory of the girl’s words, documented by an investigator just hours prior to her overdose, and felt tears prick at the back of her eyes. “There isn’t any way she was lying about that,” she finished, clearing her throat and offering what she hoped was at least a halfway-convincing smile as Donovan sat down next to her, eyeing her with concern.

Abe, too, was eyeing her with sympathy and concern. Sometimes, he cared too much for his own good.

“So,” Maya continued brightly, “please, make good on the promise I made to Captain Donovan, here. Do what you have to do to make sure this guy goes away for a long time.”

“We will,” Harper promised softly.

“Good.” She nodded to Donovan. “Captain Rhys Donovan, meet Captain John Abraham and Lieutenant Harper Li. They’re the prosecutors assigned to Captain Ferris’s case.”

“Nice to meet you,” the man offered, leaning forward to shake their hands politely before he glanced back over at her, bright eyes filled with concern. “You okay?” he questioned casually, though there was an undertone of worry there that made her forced smile transform into something much more genuine.

“Yeah,” she excused, waving away his concern. “I’m fine. I’ve just been up since four, is all.”

He looked between her and the section’s other two occupants, then nodded once, seeming to accept her at her word. “Okay. We’ll be visiting our client first, if that’s okay with the two of you?” he asked, glancing over at the prosecutors and awaiting their simultaneous nods before returning his attention to the woman seated beside him.

“You want to hear his side of the story before we hear from the victim?” Maya assumed.

“I want to hear his side of the story before we hear from the victim,” Donovan confirmed. “Though that is mostly due to the fact that, if I have to be close to that man after talking to this kid and hearing about what he did to her, you’ll likely go from being his defense attorney to being mine very quickly.”

“You know,” Abe began seriously, “I think we’re going to like having you on the Defense floor.”

“Oh,” Maya sighed, rolling her eyes as she glanced across the aisle to meet her longtime friend’s gaze, “I’m thinking you’re absolutely right about that.”

0o0

“Well, that was a waste of forty-five minutes.”

“I’m guessing that means you didn’t believe a word he said in there,” Maya remarked, tossing Donovan the keys as they made their way out to the parking lot after their interview with Captain Mark Ferris.

Donovan caught the item with ease. “Nope. What I do believe is that I stand by what I said earlier. It isn’t a good idea to leave me unsupervised in a room with him.” He unlocked the SUV, then circled around to the driver’s side, waiting for her to climb in next to him before turning the key in the ignition and putting the vehicle in Reverse. “You okay, Dobbins?” he asked a moment later.

“I’m… no,” she admitted at length. “Not really. Every time I end up being assigned to a case like this, I’m – the statistics run through my brain the entire time. One in six women will be a victim of rape or sexual assault at some point in their lifetime. That’s seventeen percent of all women on this planet. And people like Ferris…” She trailed off, shifting her gaze to the window as they travelled, buildings blurring by. “I’m sorry,” she apologized finally. “This is your first case, and it’s not necessarily the best introduction to our work.”

“To be fair, I don’t think many things could be _worse_ than this,” Donovan pointed out, pulling into the hospital’s parking lot and then driving down the aisles in search of a place to park. “And you don’t need to _apologize_, Dobbins,” he added. “This part of the job is… I wanted to punch that guy through a wall. If you hadn’t been there, I probably would’ve.”

Maya cracked a smile. “Well, I’m glad to have helped you avoid some time in the brig, then.”

“Believe me, Captain, your services were much appreciated,” he assured her, pulling into the nearest parking spot and putting the vehicle in Park. He sat there for a moment, staring straight ahead with his fingers still clutched tightly around the wheel, before slowly loosening his grip and exhaling heavily. He glanced over at her, his gaze pained and his mouth set in a straight line. “You ready for this?”

“Not at all,” she answered honestly, unbuckling her seatbelt and reaching for the door handle. “Let’s go ahead and get it over with.”

“Sounds like a plan,” he agreed, climbing from behind the wheel and waiting for her to circle around to his side of the vehicle before continuing toward the hospital’s front entrance.

Their victim wasn’t in much of a mindset to speak to them. Her mother, did, though, blotting away tears with a wrinkled tissue as she recounted her daughter’s return home on that fateful night. When they left the hospital, Maya was near tears herself, though anger had overtaken her previous sadness.

“You think he was serious about going after them for defamation?”

“What?” Donovan questioned confusedly, shaking his head as if to rid himself of whatever was running through his mind at the moment.

“Ferris,” she supplied patiently. “He said something about it all being a big lie, and that he might end up going after them for defamation. Do you think he was serious?”

“I think I don’t want to know a thing about how that mind’s man works, or where his moral compass is capable of leading him,” Donovan replied bluntly. “Though I will say that threats of defamation would be an explanation as to why Miss Brooks is the only woman who’s ever spoken out against him.”

“Blackmail works wonders,” Maya agreed bitterly. “Especially if any of his victims came from enlisted families. It’s harder for them to afford legal fees.” She shook her head. “Did you see that poor woman when she was trying to tell us what’d happened? How she was speaking about her child being good?”

“There are people who’d use her being promiscuous against her. I don’t agree with that,” he rushed to add before Maya could interject. “It doesn’t matter how many people someone says yes to or how many times they say yes. The first time they say no… it means no. It doesn’t matter what they were wearing or if they were drunk or high or… anything else.”

“Yeah,” Maya murmured, resting her chin against her fist. “Do you think hating our own client this much makes us bad lawyers?”

“Not sure,” Donovan shrugged. “Only other option’s being a really crappy human being, though.”

“Well, if those are the only two options, I’m glad to be the first,” Maya confessed.

“Yeah,” he agreed, smiling slightly. “Me, too.”

0o0

Five days and four restless nights later, Captain Mark Ferris was found guilty of his crime and sentenced to five years in the brig. In Maya’s opinion, that number could’ve been multiplied ten times over and still not been enough. She couldn’t close her eyes without seeing Juliana Brooks’ pale face as she laid in that hospital bed, or the hopelessness in Esmeralda Brooks’ gaze as she pleaded for them to believe her baby girl. Five years of punishment for a lifetime of pain just wasn’t enough. Then again, she had learned long ago that justice was very rarely actually just.

She was seated behind her desk, typing up the last of her report, when there was a knock on the door. She glanced up and offered Abe a tired smile. “Hey. You headed out?”

He nodded in confirmation. “Harper and I were going to get Sam’s, get a drink. Neither of us really feels like going straight home. You interested in meeting us there?”

Maya shook her head. “Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll finish up here and head straight home, try to get some sleep. I haven’t gotten more than a couple hours each night for a few days now,” she admitted regretfully. “But have fun. And Abe?” She waited until he turned back around before continuing. “I know I don’t say this often, but congratulations. I’m glad you won this one.”

“Yeah,” Abe murmured, offering a compassionate smile despite the haunted look in his eyes, “so am I.”

She lifted a hand in farewell as he exited her office and headed for the hallway leading to the elevators, then exhaled deeply, allowing her forced smile to slip as she refocused on the screen in front of her. Two more sentences. That was all she needed. Two more sentences, and then she could finally leave her work behind for a few hours to hide out in the comfort of her apartment and try to salvage what was left of her sanity.

She’d just submitted the last of her paperwork and was in the process of packing up her things when yet another knock sounded on the door, prompting her to look away from her purse to meet the concerned blue eyes of Captain Donovan. “Hi,” she greeted confusedly, zipping her bag shut and setting it off to the side. “Didn’t you head home hours ago?”

“Well, I was supposed to,” he replied, jaw working as he glanced awkwardly away from her. “But I’m not exactly in the best mood right now, and I didn’t want to upset my kid, so… I’ve just been driving around pointlessly for a while now. Saw your car was still in the parking lot when I drove past; I figured I’d make sure you didn’t need any help.”

“You have a child?” Maya questioned, more surprised by that revelation than anything else he’d said.

“I do, yeah. A daughter. Maddie. She’s four.” He smiled warmly as he spoke of his daughter. “I really do my best to keep my work life and my home life separated. It was easier, before, with several thousand miles between us and her mom still around, but now…” He shrugged helplessly. “It’s a little harder.”

“Well, I’m sure you’re doing fine,” Maya assured him. “You said your wife’s not around anymore. Is…”

“Divorced, not dead,” he interjected quickly. “Deidre has a drinking problem. I didn’t realize how bad it was until she got pulled over for a DWI during my most recent deployment. Maddie was in the car with her. That was the wakeup call I needed. I’d gone to law school before commissioning, but I always tried to avoid getting assigned to JAG.” He grimaced apologetically.

“Don’t worry about it,” Maya laughed quietly. “A lot of people do.”

“Yeah, so Deidre grew up in Virginia, and she was insistent on raising Maddie here, so when everything happened, and I had to make hard decisions… we’re only a couple miles away from where we lived prior to everything. Maddie’s still able to go to the same school; she still has her same friends. She’s a happy kid.”

“I’m sure she is,” Maya smiled gently. “It sounds like you’re a terrific father.” She frowned when he scoffed a laugh in response to that, already shaking his head. “Rhys, you uprooted your entire life in order to give your kid some semblance of normalcy after what happened with her mother. There are many fathers in this world that wouldn’t have done that. Many parents in general wouldn’t have done that.”

“Yeah, well.” He cleared his throat, cheeks flushing slightly as he stared down at the floor. “You sure you don’t need any help? My mom’s not planning to leave my place for at least another couple hours, so I’ve got some free time on my hands.”

“I’m good,” she promised, offering a confident smile as she picked up her bag, adjusting the strap over her shoulder. “Unless… you’re new to the area, aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” he replied, seeming confused by the sudden change of subject.

“Well, if you’ve got no interest in going straight home, you could always come out with the rest of us,” she suggested lightly. “Abe and Harper are at Sam’s. It’s a bar downtown. We go there a lot, especially after particularly hard cases. Helps us to unwind a little before we go home and force ourselves to be normal again. And me, personally, I could use a drink, so…” She shrugged. “You interested?”

“Sure,” he agreed almost immediately. “I mean, if you’re sure they won’t mind me tagging along.”

She huffed a laugh, leading him out of her office. “They won’t mind,” she assured him. “Depending on how much they’ve had to drink by the time we get there, they might not even notice you. Don’t be too offended by that, though,” she advised, leaning forward to press the elevator’s call button. “That’s just the way Abe and Harper work.”

“Good to know,” he chuckled, following her into the car once it arrived.

0o0

“So,” Abe began, claiming the stool next to her at the bar while she waited for her drink.

“So, what?” she asked expectantly, nodding her thanks to the bartender as the blonde woman slid the beverage across to her. She shook her head as she glanced over to meet Abe’s knowing gaze. “Do you have something to say?”

“You brought Donovan with you.”

“We will be working together for the foreseeable future,” Maya reminded him pointedly, taking a sip of her drink and then setting the glass down again. “He’s new to the area, and this was a hard case on all of us. I didn’t want to leave him out. Did you not want me to bring him?”

“I don’t care that you brought him,” he assured her. “I just find it surprising that you did. You don’t know the guy that well, May. And, I mean, he seems decent enough, but…”

“You can drop the protective act,” she told him seriously, lowering her voice when Rhys glanced away from Harper, his eyes seeking hers out across the bar. “Look, I know you and Ferry had to step in for me with Jones, but he’s not – this isn’t like Jones,” she promised. “Alright?”

He considered her for a moment, then nodded once. “I trust your judgement, Maya. If you’re good with him being around, then that’s good enough for me.”

“I’m good with him being around,” she said firmly.

“Okay,” Abe agreed easily, smiling in thanks when the bartender dropped by once again, this time with the drinks he’d ordered for himself and Harper several minutes earlier. “Like I said,” he repeated as the woman left them once more, “that’s good enough for me.”

She smiled in thanks. “I was, uh, I was thinking I might tell him about Jones.”

He paused less than five feet away, turning quickly to rejoin her at the bar. “That’s… I didn’t think you told people about that, May.”

“I don’t. I haven’t,” she corrected herself. “But I’ve been thinking about it lately, especially after seeing everything that Juliana Brooks went through. Ferris made her feel ashamed of what he did to her, as if he was the innocent party. He took her voice, because that’s what harassers and abusers do. It is how sexual harassment is still a common thing in the workplace.” She shook her head. “I don’t want him to take my voice anymore, John,” she murmured vulnerably. “I don’t want to feel like I’m the one at fault for his sins.”

Abe’s eyes were damp, but he was smiling proudly. “That’s good, May,” he said genuinely, “’cause you aren’t.”

“Yeah,” she breathed. “Is it crazy that I already trust him with something like this?”

Abe was already shaking his head long before she finished asking her question. “Not at all. I’m glad you feel like you can trust him. You deserve to have people you can trust in your life, May.” He glanced over at Harper as he spoke, so quickly anybody else would’ve missed it entirely.

“But it’s got to be a little insane,” Maya insisted, slightly desperately. “I don’t tell people things about myself so easily anymore, Abe. I don’t trust them so quickly. Not after – not after Casey.”

“Hey, just because your ex-husband was an ass doesn’t mean Donovan’s going to be one, too,” Abe said seriously. “And unless you’re planning to date the guy…” He trailed off when she fell silent. “You aren’t,” he assumed slowly, “right?”

She felt suddenly flustered. “Does that have anything to do with this pep talk you’re giving me?” she managed after several seconds of silence.

“Not… necessarily,” he allowed, shrugging in defeat when she arched a brow in challenge, practically daring him to question her romantic intentions further. “I just have no idea how to give you romantic advice, is all. But if you were planning on dating him, or something…” He held his hands up in surrender when her glare intensified. “It wouldn’t be the craziest thing I’ve heard of,” he finished quickly, likely so she wouldn’t snap at him for bothering to continue. “And even if it was a little crazy… well, I mean, most relationships are in general, aren’t they? Nothing’s sane about feelings.”

“You’d know better than most, I guess.” Maya smirked in response to his playful glower. “Maybe I’d be better off talking to Harper about this sort of thing. She’d definitely tell me how crazy I’m being.”

“She would not. She’d be telling you to live your life,” Abe corrected her, amused. “She’s a sucker for a good love story. For a girl who despised planning her own wedding, she’s surprisingly romantic.”

“Mm. Is she?” Maya shook her head bemusedly at the look on Abe’s face. “You’re pathetic, you know that?”

“I am aware, yes,” Abe assured her. “Though I’m not sure you have a foot to stand on, here, considering that you, too, are avoiding that booth right now.”

“I’ve known Rhys Donovan less than a week,” she reminded him pointedly. “Meanwhile, you’ve known Harper for over a year. Of the two of us, you are most definitely the more pathetic.”

“To be fair, she spent the first nine months of that time hating my guts,” he defended himself weakly. “Also, I feel the need to remind you that, when we met, she was _engaged_.”

“She spent those first nine months being annoyed by you because you called her _the boot_. To her face. _With the sole purpose of annoying her_.”

“Fair enough,” he muttered begrudgingly.

“And as for the engaged remark… she doesn’t have a fiancé anymore, Abe.”

“No, you’re right. She’s got an _ex_-fiancé now, which is much better,” he agreed sarcastically.

“Your mother _must_ have the patience of Job,” Maya muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes when Abe eyed her questioningly. “Yes, Harper has an ex-fiancé now. She could’ve been his wife, _months_ ago, but she chose not to marry him. She chose a different path for herself. Right now, you are disrespecting that choice by implying that… I honestly don’t even know what you’re implying,” she confessed blankly.

“Neither do I,” Abe confessed tiredly, rubbing a hand roughly down his face. “I do know, though, that all of Harper’s ice has now melted, so…” He gestured to the bartender for a replacement drink. “How about we just ignore how pathetic we are?” he suggested hopefully. “At least until a later date.”

“I can get on board with that,” Maya agreed, holding up her glass as if to toast.

“Great. Cheers,” he muttered, tapping his glass against her and then downing its contents in one gulp.

Maya watched the act with wide eyes. “Wow. You really are far gone, aren’t you?”

“Dobbins,” he exhaled heavily, gesturing for another, “you have no idea.”

0o0

“So,” Donovan began, holding the door open for Maya and smiling warmly in response to her muttered thanks, “that was fun.”

“It was?” Maya questioned, smiling widely when he nodded. “Good. I’m glad. I know we can be a bit… much, at first.”

“That wasn’t a problem for me,” he assured her. “Though it did get a little harder to understand Harper as the night went on. She’s the first person I’ve met who starts speaking _faster_ when she gets drunk.”

“She does do that,” Maya agreed fondly. “There comes a point when the only person who actually gets what she’s saying is Abe. He’s the official translator. She also somehow gets even smarter, which I didn’t think was possible. Abe’s pretty sure she came up with a solution for world hunger, one time.”

“Oh, yeah?” Donovan laughed, amused. “And what was it?”

Maya shrugged. “It was two o’clock in the morning, and he wasn’t exactly sober himself, so he doesn’t remember the details.”

He chuckled quietly at that, shaking his head. “They seem close.”

“Well, they are. They’ve been through a lot together. There have been more than a few close calls for her since she started working with us,” Maya explained. “She has gone through… more than anybody should have to in their first year.” Shaking her head to clear it of the thoughts and worries that always filled her mind the second she was reminded of all the times her friend had been in danger, she forced a smile as she met his gaze. “Anyway, they care about each other a lot.”

“That much was obvious.” He glanced over at her. “Can I ask you something?”

“As long as it’s not where the bodies are buried,” she replied seriously, though the playful glint in her eyes gave her away immediately.

“Never,” he replied just as gravely, a grin threatening at the corners of his lips. “I understand a lady has to keep a few secrets for herself.”

“All right, then,” she said lightly. “Sure. Ask away.”

“What were you and Abe discussing at the bar, right when he first sat down?” He smiled apologetically. “I understand if it’s none of my business, but you two looked… serious.”

“No, it’s… it’s fine,” she assured him. “We were discussing Jones. He was my commanding officer a few years back, in charge of the entire Defense floor. This was before Ferry, before Talley. Abe had only just come to us from Georgetown. I think I mentioned it a few days ago; he did two tours of the Middle East before law school,” she reminded him, waiting for him to nod before continuing. “At the time, Defense was run by a lieutenant colonel named Tristan Jones. He got… handsy, sometimes.”

“I don’t think I like where this is going,” Donovan muttered darkly.

“It didn’t go that far,” she assured him. “Abe and Trey, they stepped in the second I told them what was going on. The harassment stopped, and he transferred to a post in… Germany, I think. He retired several months after the transfer. It always annoyed Abe to no end that a man telling him not to touch a woman without her consent was finally what got the message through. I’m pretty sure it still does, actually.”

“I don’t blame him. It irritates _me_.” Donovan paused in front of his truck, burying his hands in his pants pockets as he met her gaze head-on. “I’m… thank you for sharing that with me, Dobbins,” he said finally.

“Sure,” she replied softly, clearing her throat. “Thanks for listening.”

“Anytime,” he replied earnestly, glancing around the dark parking lot. “Can I walk you to your car?”

“Oh, I’ll be fine,” she began, smiling slightly when he eyed her hopefully. “Okay,” she agreed. “If you’re sure it’s no trouble.”

“No trouble at all,” he promised her, matching her stride as they made their way to the other corner of the parking lot. “What else did you and Abraham discuss?” he asked once they were halfway across the lot.

“Oh, that was normal bar chat,” she told him. “Normal for us, at least. Really serious stuff. I had to make sure he was aware of how pathetic he was being. He’s got something of a crush on our Lieutenant Li. He refuses to do anything about it, so I refuse to stop mocking him until he does,” she explained.

“You two have a very strange friendship,” he informed her wryly. “And if he’s trying _not_ to let Lieutenant Li in on his feelings, he’s doing a very poor job of it,” he added a moment later.

“You’d think so, but she’s extremely clueless,” Maya grumbled. “For two intelligent people, they’re very slow on the uptake.”

“Maybe it matters too much for them to rush into it,” he suggested helpfully.

She paused just feet away from her car, turning to look at him curiously. “You don’t think there’s such a thing as taking too long, then?”

“I think going too fast wrecks both beautiful cars and meaningful relationships,” he returned evenly, reaching out to open her car door for her once she’d unlocked the vehicle. “It ruined my marriage.”

“Your ex is an alcoholic,” Maya reminded him pointedly. “You didn’t make her drink, the same as I didn’t make my ex-husband cheat on me. I don’t think waiting another six months before marrying him would have kept him from cheating. Do you think another six months would’ve kept her from drinking?”

“No,” he sighed, looking rather annoyed to be agreeing with her, “I don’t.”

Maya nodded once. “Then the timing didn’t wreck your marriage, Donovan. Everything that happened after did.”

“Has anybody ever told you you’d make an excellent therapist?” he asked wryly.

“On multiple occasions,” she assured him. “I’d say I’d take it into consideration, but the idea of it bores me. I’d miss the courtroom too much.”

“You’d miss arguing too much?” Donovan deduced.

“That, too,” she admitted, smiling as she carefully climbed behind the wheel. “I’ll take your input on Abe and Harper into consideration,” she told him. “If it takes them any longer than another year, though, I’ll be locking them in a closet until they deal with it.”

“Seems like a perfectly normal reaction,” Donovan agreed sardonically. “Hey,” he said just before she shut the door, “drive safe, Dobbins. And try to get some sleep. I’ll see you at the office tomorrow?”

“You will,” she confirmed. “And maybe try to take some of that advice yourself,” she suggested, closing the door with a wide grin.

She carefully backed out of the parking spot, making sure to keep an eye on him the entire time. He didn’t move until she was nearing the exit that would put her back on the road, watching after her car with his hands buried in his pockets and an unreadable expression on his face. Just before she actually left the parking lot, though, he cracked a smile brighter than the stars shining above them and lifted a hand in farewell.

Maya returned the smile in her rearview mirror, inhaling deeply and then releasing the breath slowly as she attempted to put her focus on the road before her and nothing else. She found herself distracted by thoughts of the man she’d just left behind much more than she would’ve liked, however. It seemed Abe had been right. Nothing about relationships was even relatively sane. In that moment, though, she just couldn’t seem to make herself care.

Just before she unlocked her front door, her phone pinged with a new message. She fished it out of her jeans pocket and squinted down at the message displayed on the large screen. _I hope you made it home alright, _was all the message read.

_Oh, yeah,_ Maya sighed mentally, replying in the affirmative before returning the device to her pocket and finally unlocking her front door, _I really am completely and absolutely screwed. _

For some unknown reason, the thought wasn’t nearly as terrifying as it had been in the past.

**Author's Note:**

> Statistically, 25% of women in the military have been victims of sexual assault and 80% have been victims of sexual harassment.
> 
> EDIT: Significant edits made 04/06/2020.


End file.
